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I exercised my right to vote early today. I’d like to think I’m an experienced voter, my first vote was during the Vietnam War. Today was by far and away the best voting experience I’ve ever had. The poll workers in Alexandria, VA were efficient, organized and pleasant. There were no lines and they made sure that everyone knew what was on the ballot before they went in to vote.

As a child, I heard countless times “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the way the country is going,” as my parents spoke to the television when a talking head was espousing some negative view or to a family member who hadn’t taken the time to fulfill their democratic duty. Being an avid complainer in my youth (and, let’s be honest, to this day), my parents’ voting tagline was a sound argument to me. If you want to complain about the problems, you have to first do your part.

I remember playing during recess - we divided into two teams – I was, on the team representing George McGovern and Jerry’s team represented Richard Nixon – it was a game of “war” and to be honest I don’t really remember who ended up winning the game but I certainly remember who won the election.